Breaking Balls is the story of three colorful local figures associated with the game the Italians call bocce as seen through the lens of the 30th Anniversary of the Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce tournament, one of the largest bocce tournaments in North America, regularly held in Wickliffe, Ohio in August.

Bocce in the United States is not just a sport, it is a subculture—a community of players, supporters and fans—most of whom are Italian-American. These people are the soul of this unique sport, nurturing and passing down from one generation to the next their appreciation of this unique game. Their love of the sport and the traditions and the camaraderie that surround it are what this movie is all about. They are the heart of this documentary.

Breaking Balls, produced and directed by John P. Vourlis, is the first feature film for Hometown Media and Mr. Vourlis. “This movie is as Cleveland as it gets,” said Vourlis. “As a born and raised Clevelander, I couldn’t be happier to have this film make its debut here. I’ve been coming to CIFF since I was an undergrad studying film at Case Western Reserve, so it’s a dream come true to have it screen here.”

The Cleveland International Film Festival has been presenting the newest and best films from around the world since 1977. Last year the festival screened 195 feature films and 213 short films from 72 countries to a CIFF record setting crowd of 102,255 attendees. It as an Academy Award qualifying festival.

Breaking Balls screens Monday, April 03, 2017 at 7:35 PM Tuesday, April 04, 2017 at 3:55 PM, in the Local Heroes Competition and The Sports Section sidebar. Tickets to the screenings will be available to CIFF Members on March 10th and to the public on March 17th. Check the CIFF website for more info.